Bhagavad Gita- Chapter 8 (Part-1) Akshara Brahma Yogah- Yoga of Imperishable Brahman

Concepts and Issues
Arjuna asks Sri Krishna seven  questions with a view to understand the technical and philosophical terms used  by Him in the previous Chapter. The questions and The Lord's answers are as  follows. 

     

   

As the moment of departure from  the physical body is not known to anybody Sri Krishna advises Arjuna that one  should always keep the mind and intellect absorbed in Him when he will come to  Him alone. Sri Krishna emphasizes the need to practice Yoga at all times. If  one practices meditation through out one’s life fixing the mind on God,  God-consciousness will remain steady even at the time of death instead of on  worldly objects.

 

Just as in the disturbed waters  of a lake pebbles lying at the bottom cannot be seen, the Self that is  indwelling in one's body cannot be experienced due to agitated mind. Sri  Krishna therefore suggests a way out by the practice of which this problem  could be got over. He suggests meditating on `OM'  which is the symbol of the Supreme Purusha, Brahman. The repetition of `Om' creates a harmony in the nervous system and the  entire personality of the practitioner will feel single-pointed consciousness  which will lead to the experience of the Supreme Consciousness.

Live as the Gita Teaches You to Live
In this Chapter Sri Krishna  explains the glory of human existence. Scriptures say that one has to pass  through several cycles of births and deaths to take a human birth. In such a  rare human birth if one fails to utilize the opportunity of attaining The  Supreme and instead, spends his entire life in satisfying sensual desires it  will not be possible for him to remember The Eternal Purusha at the time of  death and hence it will lead him to enter this world again and again.

 

The recipe for this Self-Realization  is contained in Verses 7 and 14 discussed above. Verse 7 says eternal  remembrance of the Lord is the prize of Moksha (Liberation). Verse 14 assures  that He is easily attainable by whosever constantly and daily remembers Him.

 

Points to Ponder
    1.  What are the questions asked by Arjuna?
    2.  What is re-birth and how does one get it?
    3.  What is the easy way of attaining liberation?

 

Next time  we will proceed from the Verse 8.15

 

Harih Om

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